The exemplary embodiments described herein relate to optical analysis systems and methods for flowing atmospheric air and, in particular, to systems and methods for analyzing contaminants present in flowing atmospheric air using an integrated computational element.
Flowing atmospheric air (also referred to herein simply as “flowing air”), such as that produced by an air compressor, is used in various aspects of an oil and gas application including, for example, drying powder compositions (e.g., cements, weighting agents, proppant, and the like) to an appropriate moisture content, supplying air to a clean room environment for oil and gas testing operations, supplying air to a treatment fluid for use in drilling, stimulation, and/or other subterranean formation operations, and the like.
The presence of contaminants (e.g., liquid, gaseous, biological, and/or dry contaminants) in flowing air may adversely affect the ability of the flowing air to perform its function (e.g., to remove moisture, to keep areas free of impurities, and the like) or may adversely affect the ability of another composition (e.g., powder composition, treatment fluid, and the like) to perform its function. In such instances, the presence of the contaminants may result in significant delay and or expense in the form of operator time and/or remedial measures of a subterranean formation operation or related oil and gas operation, whether in the field or laboratory, for example, to remove the contaminant(s).
As an example, flowing atmospheric air may be used to dry a cement composition used to form a cement column in a wellbore in a subterranean formation. The presence of contaminants introduced into the cement composition from the flowing air may result in a loss of structural integrity to the later set cement, such as by preventing complete cement hydration, permitting other fluids (e.g., formation fluids, for example) to permeate into the sealing or set cement, and the like. In such instances, the set cement may be incapable of providing zonal isolation, preventing casing collapse and/or stuck pipe, plugging a wellbore, and/or other functionalities the set cement is intended to perform. Accordingly, the presence of such contaminants may be particularly detrimental to a particular operation if a cement composition includes one or more contaminants in an unacceptable amount, and the resultant set cement may require costly, time-consuming remedial measures.